With the issue of juvenile fishing still hanging in the air after Kerala boat operators withdrew their fishing strike, traditional fishermen have sought a consensus on the issue and want to convene a combined meeting of the sectors to discuss outstanding issues. The traditional fishermen are firm in their stand that juvenile fishing should end immediately and the question of degree is a matter to be discussed, said Charles George of the Matya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi. He said the vedi wanted to convene a meeting of the stakeholders in the first week of March to discuss the issues in the presence of marine fisheries scientists so that a consensus could be reached. At loggerheads The boat owners stuck to their stand that the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) recommendation to allow 50% juvenile catch should be considered. The traditional fishermen and boat owners have been at loggerheads over the issue of juvenile fishing with an incident involving the seizure of two boats early January this year by Fisheries Department officials. The boats were forcefully retrieved by a group of people. However, boat owners denied their involvement in the incident that resulted in damage to the fisheries station. Joseph Xavier Kalapurakkal of the Boat Owners’ Association said that cases are being foisted on the boat owners. Mr. George said there was a consensus among the fishing sectors regarding juvenile fishing after the June-July round of discussions in 2015. However, the fishing boat operators had withdrawn from the agreement. The use of the proposer mesh size for cod-ends in trawling nets and deployment of experienced hands in fishing expeditions too needed to be discussed, he said. There was no compromise on the goal of ending juvenile fishing. But how it should be implemented is the question. If the government implemented the Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act properly, these problems could be solved, Mr. George said.